As the sky contorts, my heart crumples
by riversongspoilers
Summary: When the TARDIS takes the Doctor and River to a mysterious planet things don't appear to be as they seem. The doctor meets one very special boy and his aunt, but will he find out the terrible truth about who they are and what his wife has been keeping from him?


**AN:/ So I haven't written anything in a long time, well nothing Doctor Who related and it was annoying me so I came up with this idea. Spoiler Alert: don't read if you haven't seen the latest series with Clara's departure or the Christmas special! But basically it's set sometime around Derilium, when the Doctor and River have 24 years left together and Clara is on her way back to Gallifrey.**

"You don't have to get us kicked out of every bar, River!" The Doctor shouted angrily as he stormed in through his machine's doors with his wife following closely behind. Half-heartedly throwing his dark dinner jacket over the small battered seat situated in the corner of the console room, he makes quick work of pressing buttons and pulling leavers until he flashes a grin up at the main console unit setting the co-ordinates to random.

"Oh yes I know, Dear. But I do hope you won't keep going on about it, where's your sense of adventure gone? Besides, I wasn't going to stand around letting those two-headed bikini wearing models get their hands all over you-"

"They were being friendly!" The Doctor interjects abruptly.

River raises one eyebrow, her face a picture of doubt, "They were being something but friendly isn't the word I would use." She sighs and shakes her head down at the floor, "What has gotten into you lately? These past few visits, you've been such a grouch. Tell me why."

The whole physique of The Doctor shifts slightly, seemingly broken for the first time in forever, "Spoilers." He mutters simply, he sees the worry creep across her face and hates himself even more for letting things come to this, for still not coming up with a way of saving her. Slowly, he makes his way over to her, with one very gentle hand he caresses her cheek, "Hey now, no more glum Doctor. To hell with him." He struggles to put on a brave face but he knows that he has to do this impossible challenge, he has to make every moment they have left count.

"There's so many rumours about you and I. Traveling in opposite directions, one day I won't know who you are." She swallows hard as she gazes up at her best friend, hero and lover, "and one day you won't know who I am." There's a brief pause as silence creeps in and with that a torrent of emotion, "I think that day will kill me." She says bluntly as she pulls away from him, walking hurriedly away down one of the endless corridors in the general direction of their bedroom before he can see the tears that she's been holding back for far too long.

The Doctor sighs as he watches her walk down the hall way, knowing he should follow her and comfort her but instead does the opposite, walking out of the TARDIS's doors into unfamiliar territory, "Why did you bring us here?" He mutters under his breath, questioning his machine as he wonders down a street painted red, it is oddly colourful, for although everything is red, everything is different shades of red. The road is maroon, the houses ruby and the trees that border the right side of the road opposite to the houses a burnt crimson that shine under the glare of the palatial black sun set high in the blood-red sky. The old time-traveller meanders slowly down to the park at the end of the built up area, becoming surrounded by a sudden mass of laughter, he smiles as he stands by the rusty metal gate watching all the children playing on the different areas of the playground.

"Excuse me, Mister." A small boy barges past him, eager to get into the park to play with his mates, just before he sets off running joining in on a game of chase he looks back at the stranger, "I'm sorry Mister but do I know you?"

"Not me, I'm afraid. My first time here. I say tell me, do you know what planet this is?" The Doctor asks the small boy curiously with a twinkle to his eyes.

The little boy straightens up, "Well of course I do, Mister. But why don't you?" He challenges, showing his intelligence.

"My transport kinda has a mind of its own, you see." The doctor replies patiently.

"My aunt always told me not to talk to strangers, she said you never know who they are. She said that strangers are sometimes dangerous."

The Doctor smiles down at the small child, "Your aunt sounds very smart, she's quite right you know- you shouldn't talk to strangers." The Doctor tells him in a stern manner, "But I'm guessing your aunt is a grown-up, am I right?"

The doctor receives a confused nod from the child, "I see, so then- May I talk to her instead?"

The boy points over The Doctor's shoulder to one of the ruby houses, "we live over there." He says before running off to play with the other children, ending their conversation shortly.

The doctor smiles as he watches for a moment longer as his new acquaintance chases around the other children before crossing the road and knocking on the front door of the boy's house. For a moment he wonders if there is actually anyone home but after a few minutes pass by the door finally cracks open and a young woman appears.

"Yes? Can I help you?" the young women asks impatiently, confused as to why there is a stranger on her doorstep, she's petite in size with her brown mousy hair cut so it just falls above her shoulder.

The Doctor shakes his head apologetically, "I'm sorry, I just arrived here and met your nephew over there." The Doctor points over to the park, "He's a bright lad. I just wondered if you could tell me where I am, you see, I'm a bit lost."

The woman smiles slightly accepting the compliment about her nephew, "Thank you, you're on 12th Street."

He chuckles quietly, "I'm afraid I'm a little more lost than that, can you tell me what planet we're on?"

The woman looks confused but obliges anyway, "Planet Shrucera, 5th planet of the hepasterschism."

He frowns momentarily, muttering to himself, "A planet I haven't heard of."

"Would you like to come in for a coffee?" She asks as she opens her door wider, turning her back and walking along the hallway into the spacious kitchen at the end.

Meanwhile, back in the TARDIS, River is just calming down after her emotional outburst and is slowly making her way back to the console room to face her husband, "I'm sorry, I know it's just as difficult for you as it is for me, it's just… well it gets to me at times and I shouldn't let it but I do." She shouts out to thin air as she looks for her missing man. "Are you sulking now?" She calls out as she heads over to the main console panel to do a location search. As the screen lights up, her heart stops and her stomach sinks. Her eyes don't need to read the location of where the TARDIS has brought them again as she hits the ground running, flinging the doors open and sprinting down 12th Street.

River flies down the street and hurtles in to the house at the end of the road opposite the park in a whirl wind as she runs frantically in on The Doctor and The Woman sat at the kitchen table drinking from mugs and eating biscuits.

"Ah Hello River, I was just telling this woman of how we're just passing through." He tells her, completely ignoring her mad, frenzied state of being.

She shakes her head, gasping for air as her lungs work over time to keep up with her rapid breathing, "What. What are you doing here?" She pants, catching back her breath as she keeps glancing at the woman watching The Doctor.

"Well, I fancied taking a walk and so I wondered down the street and found myself watching the children playing in the park, I met a little boy, a very clever boy who told me I couldn't talk to him because I was a stranger and so he told me that I could talk to his aunty instead and here I am." He outlines briefly. "Is there a problem? Why do you look so out of breath?"

She shakes her head, "I just thought you might be in danger, I know your tendencies." Her expression softens slightly as she takes a seat next to him at the table while the petite woman makes River a cup of coffee.

"Your nephew, what happened to his parents? Why are you looking after him?" The doctor asks curiously, resuming the conversation.

The woman stills for a moment as she stares down at the blue mug of coffee in front of her however she manages to pull herself together as she turns around mustering a faint smile as she sits the mug next to River, "They can't be here, it's complicated." She sits back down in her chair so she's facing River who's paled, "he's a great kid." She smiles, proudness blossoming through.

"It seems you're doing a great job raising him by yourself." He compliments her just as the little boy walks through the door into where they're all sat.

River inhales quickly as she sets her eyes on him but disguises it with a cough that goes unnoticed by everyone else in the room. The Doctor on the other hand is quick to make conversation with the little boy, "Hello again." He remarked gently as the boy walked over to his aunt.

"Hello Mister." He turns to his aunt and whispers in her ear quietly, "are they still strangers? Am I allowed to talk to them?" His eyes are wide as he looks up to his aunt with wonder and curiosity.

She smiles and tousles his tightly curled brown hair, "Yes you can talk to them, in fact why don't you take this man outside and show him how fast you can run? I'm sure he'd love to watch you." She tells him whilst smiling softly at The Doctor.

The small boy laughs wickedly as he grabs The Doctor's hand, pulls him to his feet and drags him down the hall way and out the door. For what seems like forever, River lets out the breath that she had been unconsciously holding in, "I'm so sorry," is the first thing she can think to say to the woman sat opposite.

"He doesn't know, I didn't tell him anything."

River nods stiffly once, "I wish things didn't have to be like this-"

"He deserves to know the truth, River. They both do!" The Woman fumed, her whole physique changing to illustrate her fury.

"You don't think I know that, Clara?" River hisses at the woman, "You think I enjoy keeping all this from him?"

Clara's eyes lower, "what are you even doing here anyway?"

"The TARDIS brought us here, obviously _she_ thought he deserved to know too." She adds bitterly.

"You saw how they were with each other, they bonded instantly. Would it be so bad if he learnt the truth?" Clara asks River exasperated.

"Yes! Don't you know how many different races would want to have that child and use him against The Doctor?" She sighs in defeat, "If there was any other way to keep the pair of them safe I would do it in a heartbeat but there isn't. The Doctor must never know we have a son. Never."

Clara nods her head slowly, "and how long am I meant to stay in hiding with him?"

"Until he's old enough to look after himself on Earth, in some remote village where no one will find him. Then you can go back to Gallifrey the long way round. I am sorry Clara, but I can't thank you enough for looking after him." River mutters, her voice laced with regret. "He's grown a lot since the last time I saw him, how old is he now?"

Clara smiles slightly, "He's just turned six."

"Six years." She muses, "It feels like a lifetime ago that I left him in your arms just a few days old."

"You know you could come and visit him anytime."

River swallows hard, fakes her best smile and shakes her head, "Best not to, don't want to leave a trail to him. Besides you're doing brilliantly raising him by yourself."

"Come on, let's go see what they're up to." Clara stands up and walks briskly out to find The Doctor and his son, with River following close behind. She smiles as she stands in the door way watching the Doctor run after the boy, chasing him around the park. Both of them grinning like Cheshire cats, the small boy giggling as The Doctor catches and tickles him.

Slowly River prises her eyes away long enough from the scene to glance at Clara, "what did you name him in the end?" River askes, voice just above a whisper.

"Arthur." Clara states simply as she watches, smiling at the pair chasing about in the long copper-coloured grass.

River smiles slightly, "Arthur Oswald."

"Arthur Song." Clara corrects her gently.


End file.
